If you’re like me, you’re currently prepping for a wild New Year’s party. (In my case, it’s cozying up with a handful of books and perhaps some orange juice.) However, you hopefully also have time to catch up with the 10 most-read JI posts from the last year. Below are the ten posts that received the most viewers over the last 12 months, and I’m sure they are worthy of another read.

• Ben P, “Coming to the October Ensign: Joseph Smith’s Seer Stone.” We are not only historians–but also breaking-news reporters! We highlighted the new seer stone story/picture that came out of the JSP news conference, a moment we have all long waited for.
• Andrea R-M, “A Love Letter to Mormon Women on the Anniversary of the Relief Society, from a Mormon Historian and Feminist.” One of the best features of JI: brilliant historians using their tools to bring context and meaning to current events.
• “Q&A With Jared Hickman.” An exchange with Jared Hickman, one of the brightest minds in nineteenth century literature today, on his recent article concerning race in the Book of Mormon.
• Christopher, “JI Summer Book Club: Richard Lyman Bushman’s Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (Prologue + Chapters 1-2).” The first substantial post in our successful Summer Book Club series, this post set the tone for the many contributions to follow. (In fact, go read the entire book club series.)
• Steve Fleming, “Teaching Polygamy at BYU.” Steve has done a series of smart posts chronicling his experience of making sense/teaching tough issues in an LDS setting. This is only a taste, so make sure to read the others as well.
• Kris, “20 Questions to Ask a Seer Stone and its Pouch.” A much more substantive response to the seer stone news, Kris demonstrates how material culture can provide the tools to make sense of past relics.
• J Stuart, “Richard Bushman’s Reflection on RSR.” The capstone of the Summer Book Club series featured Bushman offering his own reflections ten years after the book’s publication.
• Christopher, “‘For Ye Were Strangers’: Four Short Vignettes on Mormon(s) (and) Refugees.” This recent post adds contextual and humanizing background to modern political debates.
• Barbara Jones Brown, “Sealings Performed Outside the Temple: Background and Resources.” The LDS Church recently released its long-awaited essays on the history of polygamy, and one of the experts on the practice provides further context and information.
• Tona H, “Color Me … Uncorrelated.” Who says nothing substantive is written between Christmas and New Year’s? Tona’s thoughtful recent-history esay is a must-read.

If there are other posts that stood out to you, please share them in the comments bellow.

Happy holidays from JI, and thanks for sticking with us for another year!

Picture following JI’s annual meeting at MHA. From left to right: Janiece J, Andrea R-M, Steve Fleming, Christopher (who was very excited for the picture), J Stuart, Kris, Amanda HK, Tona H, Saskia, Ben P, Edje, Barbara Jones Brown, and Ryan T.